For a start, the airline tax, which the EU rather optimistically suggests may operate from early 2012, has been vigorously opposed by airlines from China, the United States, Japan, South Africa, Singapore and even some European Union countries.

The Americans and the Chinese may well challenge whether the tax is legal; a step that would have financial and timetable implications.

To further confuse the issue, other airlines may moves their bases in a bid to find loopholes in the tax. This is because of debate and apparent confusion over whether the EU tax would apply for the whole flight to and from Europe, or just the part of the flight that is actually in European skies.

Additional confusion seems to centre on what the EU intends to do with money raised from the tax. Would this be directed to helping improve the airline industry – a move that would probably be supported by all — or just go into the coffers of EU member states. We’ve all heard about European economic management in countries like Iceland, Ireland and Greece.

Then there is the question of what the EU could do (if anything) should the tax be simply ignored. Any further heavy handed approach – like the media articles in non carbon price countries over recent days – might just invite retaliation.

And, like all these so-called Green programs, there is always the contentious issue of exemptions. Who gets what …. and why? And what about me?

Rather than the plain sailing suggested by some media outlets, the EU’s airline tax has a lot of turbulence to overcome before we see whether it has wings, whether it stalls on the ground, and whether it actually achieves anything.

Those who support the idea of a carbon tax on Australians are quick to point to Europe as a model.

From my experience, these people often talk about the “success” of a carbon tax in Sweden or somewhere – and then suggest that such taxes or carbon trading systems are inevitable everywhere.

Without wishing to dimish the exploits of a country with less than 10 million people and a history of high taxes and big bureaucracies, the overall European picture does not exactly make it the poster child for climate change.

Among the engine-room economies, France abruptly ditched its carbon tax plan in the past year after the punters hammered the government at the polls; Germany is trying to untangle a mess of carbon trading fraud and abuse; and in other countries including Britain, France, Spain, Denmark and Holland, more than 100 people have been arrested as fraud and profiteering emerged in carbon trading — for the fourth time.

The Telegraph in Britain reported that last March it emerged that some governments, in particular Hungary, had started “recycling” credits, or selling on old ones that had already been used for financial gain.

By the end of last year, criminals had stolen credits from Romania in a hacking attack, prompting the closure of its national registry, and allowances were also reported missing in Switzerland. Then credits taken in another cyber attack bounced from the Czech Republic to Poland, Estonia and Liechtenstein before disappearing.

After the Czech fiasco, the European Commission finally moved to close the entire spot-trading market indefinitely.

In Britain, identity checks were said to be carried out on everyone who registered as a carbon trader. However, The Sunday Telegraph reported that the register contained dozens of companies with addresses in suburban residential streets, sometimes unreachable addresses and Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo email accounts.

Carbon tax supporters in Australia are quick to claim that, for every incident of farce and crime, there have also been success stories. But, it’s impossible to deny that its history of carbon taxing and trading makes Europe anything but some squeaky clean Green utopia.

In fact, its credibility generally is so poor that the European experience is hardly something to which Australia should aspire.

Ian Roberts

This blog is penned by Australian social media advisor, writer, journalist and researcher, Ian Roberts. The blog centres on trends in social media development, life in general, football and the Newcastle United Jets FC, a passion Ian shares with beautiful wife, Suzanne.